GOSHEN — An energetic crowd of about 115 people filled the Goshen High School cafeteria Wednesday evening for the fourth of five planned community meetings related to the new Vibrant Communities initiative.
Having kicked off Jan. 26 to an equally energetic crowd of more than 600 at Elkhart’s Lerner Theater, the goal of the Vibrant Communities initiative is to bring each of the county’s various cities and towns together to define projects, policies and relationships they feel will improve their communities, all with the goal of ensuring the future prosperity and quality of life of the county.
Five “community conversations” have been scheduled to gather input for the initiative, the fourth of which — focusing specifically on the city of Goshen — took place Wednesday. Meetings focusing on Elkhart, on Nappanee/Wakarusa and on the county as a whole have already taken place.
Getting started
Jose Chiquito, a Goshen teenager who has lived in the city since he was three years old, said he was very excited about the potential for the Vibrant Communities initiative to tap into the city’s vast and diverse citizenship in order to bring together thoughts, ideas and opinions for how best to move the city forward.
“I think it’s a very good way to get a lot of input from a lot of different people,” Chiquito said of the initiative following Wednesday’s meeting. “I was a little concerned about how they were going to reach out to the Latino community, but it looks like they’re going to work that out. They’re having Spanish conversations to invite the rest of the community. So it’s really great. I really love that they’re trying their best to really reach out to all those different groups.”
As for what he would most like to see when it comes to future opportunities for the city, Chiquito said he personally loves the idea of more ethnic festivals to help showcase the city’s diverse makeup.
“I think they’re very important,” Chiquito said of the festivals. “I think that’s what really gives a city its vibrancy. When you look at the big cities, they have things like Chinese New Year, and all different kinds of parades and festivals that are going on all the time. So it’s a great way to immerse yourself and understand the communities around you, and also have fun.”
Monday’s meeting was mostly spent with attendees broken into small groups brainstorming what they see as the city’s top assets and future opportunities for growth. The top priorities from each group were then shared at the end of the meeting.